How to Make Crispy Delicata Squash

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My method on how to make crispy squash will soon become a "baked moons of deliciousness" obsession, and you'll be adding them to every salad!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings: servings depending on how large the squash

Author: Jenny DeRemer

Cost: $0.18 per serving

Equipment

Ingredients

2 medium Delicata squash washed well, thoroughly dried, halved and deseeded and sliced into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch moons
¼ cup olive oil
¾ teaspoon smoked paprika sweet or hot
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon rosemary fresh; chopped fine
1 tablespoon thyme fresh; chopped fine
1 tablespoon sage fresh; chopped fine
1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated from a block of aged Parmesan, NOT imitation cheese

for serving

6 cups butter lettuce leaves
¾ cups Roquefort cheese crumbled; may substitute a perfumy Bleu cheese if unable to source Roquefort

for the honey vinaigrette

¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons honey more to taste
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar more to taste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash the squash under warm water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. On a large cutting board, cut the ends off each squash, then cut each right down the middle lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and the pulp. Cut each half into moons. These squash slices should be about 1/2-inch thick. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk olive oil together with some smoked paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and Kosher salt. Chop the leaves of fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage until they are more or less fine. Whisk the herbs right into the oil mixture. Add the squash slices in the mixture and toss well to coat.
In a separate shallow bowl grate 1 cup of Parmesan cheese from a block. One by one, take a piece of squash and roll it in the cheese. Place it on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with all of the squash. If there is cheese left in the bowl, sprinkle it over the squash.
Bake the squash in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the squash has achieved a deep golden brown and the cheese begins to brown deeply around the edges of the squash. There is no need to turn or flip the squash. Remove from the oven, set the baking sheet on a wire rack and allow to cool before adding to the salad.
To assemble the salad, arrange a handful of butter lettuce leaves on a platter or individual plates. Add crispy Parmesan squash moons to the top and sprinkle a generous amount of a Roquefort (or perfumy Bleu cheese) over the top.
In a mini food processor of jar with a tight-fitting lid, blend or shake up a quarter cup of olive oil, three-ish tablespoons of honey, two-ish tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar (may substitute red wine vinegar), a quarter teaspoon onion powder, and a hefty pinch of dried oregano. Blend or whisk until emulsified, then drizzle lightly all over the salad leaves and squash.

Notes

Please Note that table salt and iodized salt are NOT substitutions for Kosher salt. Do not use table salt or iodized salt in any of the recipes you find on Not Entirely Average UNLESS specified otherwise.

Buy Delicata Squash at your grocery store of farmer's market beginning in August and through December. Do not peel the squash.

Substitute Acorn Squash in lieu of Delicata is you are unable to source.

Store Baked Crispy Squash moons in an airtight container on the counter up to 1 day. Dice and re-toast in a toaster oven and add like croutons to soup or assemble toasted thick crusty bread with pieces of crispy squash, melted cheddar cheese, and fried sage leaves.

Nutrition